文 /羅斯·瑪麗

1993年出生的ADIKIN ROSE MARY（中文名：羅斯·瑪麗），是一位來自非洲烏干達的外籍新娘。8年前，她經(jīng)人介紹來到美麗的浙江遂昌農(nóng)村結(jié)婚生子，以她的踏實勤勞質(zhì)樸創(chuàng)造著美好生活。目前，羅斯·瑪麗已經(jīng)成為擁有1055多萬粉絲的抖音達人,抖音賬號“Rose”得到超1.3億的點贊。越來越多的人通過她拍攝的短視頻，了解中國普通農(nóng)民的多彩鄉(xiāng)村生活。以下是羅斯·瑪麗講述她在中國的故事。

1.作者和閨蜜雷一起分享自制手撕牛肉干。 2.作者在縣外辦人員的陪同下接種疫苗。 3.作者幫村里采摘羊肚菌。1.Rose shares sliced beef jerky with one of her best friends. 2.Rose is vaccinated. 3.Rose helps villagers pick mushrooms.

我在中國的家位于浙江省遂昌縣。這里被譽為“浙南林海”“江南綠?！?，400多年前，世界文化名人湯顯祖曾在此任知縣，并寫就不朽名著《牡丹亭》。我所在的金竹鎮(zhèn)葉村村和全縣的大多數(shù)鄉(xiāng)村一樣，風(fēng)景如畫、田園如歌，遠(yuǎn)處有高山、梯田，近處有溪流、茶園，還有錯落有致的泥坯房。特別是這里的村民勤勞、淳樸、善良，讓我這個遠(yuǎn)嫁的非洲媳婦，感受到了濃濃的人情味和煙火氣。如今的我，已經(jīng)深深地愛上這個美麗的新家園。

我的思緒經(jīng)常情不自禁地回到2014年，當(dāng)年二十歲出頭的我在烏干達一家中資企業(yè)從事家具銷售工作。為了方便和中國同事、客戶交流，我開始學(xué)說中國話，并在公司里結(jié)識了一位來自中國浙江的女孩。也就是在這位“紅娘”的牽線搭橋下，我認(rèn)識了她的表哥、現(xiàn)在的丈夫吳建云。雖然地理位置相隔萬里，但是我和吳建云通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)慢慢熟悉、互生情愫，最后懷著對美好愛情和生活的憧憬，我來到了中國，來到了浙江農(nóng)村。

葉村村距金竹鎮(zhèn)政府所在地2公里，距遂昌縣城將近50公里。我剛來的時候，就感受到了當(dāng)?shù)卣痛迕駷榱烁颖憷慕煌?、更加美麗的環(huán)境、更加富裕的生活，努力發(fā)展建設(shè)、辛勤勞動的濃厚氛圍。當(dāng)時，金竹鎮(zhèn)連接外面的大通道—“峽湖金公路金竹尾段改擴建”工程等正在如火如荼地建設(shè)中，村委會乘勢推出了葉村村“美麗鄉(xiāng)村”建設(shè)的一系列思路和規(guī)劃，很多村民也在積極發(fā)展茶葉、山茶油產(chǎn)業(yè)。這些場景，給了我這個外來媳婦很大的“壓力”，我不僅要適應(yīng)中國農(nóng)村的生活，還要通過努力過上中國人提倡的“小康生活”“富裕生活”！

當(dāng)時我們家里的條件并不好，隨著我們的兒子吳子安的出生，生活上的壓力就更大了。所以孩子滿月后，丈夫就外出打工了。我成了農(nóng)村“留守婦女”中的一員，既要下地干農(nóng)活，做家務(wù)，又要哺育照看孩子。離開了丈夫的“庇護”，我還要為能否融入村民大家庭忐忑不安：面對不熟悉的環(huán)境，碰到困難我該找誰幫忙？左鄰右舍會不會接納我？村里的小孩子會不會因為吳子安和他們不一樣而欺負(fù)他？后來發(fā)現(xiàn)，其實我的擔(dān)心完全是多余的。

中國有句古話叫“遠(yuǎn)親不如近鄰”，這些年村里這個大家庭給予我親人般的幫助和照顧。我想不僅是因為我開朗活潑的性格、與鄰為善的態(tài)度得到了村民們的認(rèn)可，更重要的是刻在中國人骨子里的善良和團結(jié)。老公外出后，鄰居大姐就經(jīng)常送來她種植的新鮮蔬菜；翻修雞舍這種重活，鄰居大哥總是搶著幫我干完；羅梅、英子等人經(jīng)常上門聽我傾訴，為我排解憂愁，帶著我摘柿子、摘枇杷，她們成了我最要好的閨蜜；丈夫的表哥表嫂經(jīng)常會來我家里，對我噓寒問暖，幫著干這干那。在婦聯(lián)、村委會的幫助下，我家的旱廁改造成了干凈整潔、環(huán)保衛(wèi)生的水沖式衛(wèi)生間，縣里的外事干部還專門陪著我們外籍人士到定點醫(yī)院接種新冠疫苗。

我也一直懷著感恩的心去生活，與鄰為伴、樂于助人，主動融入中國農(nóng)村生活。在農(nóng)忙時節(jié)，我會起個大早，幫助鄰居大姐采茶葉、賣茶葉，學(xué)著與收購商討價還價；在重陽節(jié)，我和面粉、蒸發(fā)糕，帶著吳子安給村里的老奶奶們送去甜蜜的祝福；在端午節(jié)，我和丈夫一起采摘新鮮箬葉，包一籮筐軟糯香甜的“遂昌長棕”，與鄰居、親友分享節(jié)日的喜悅，祝福親情、友情長長久久。

快樂時光飛逝，不知不覺間我來到中國已經(jīng)8年了。8年來，我用心體驗山區(qū)鄉(xiāng)村生活的點點滴滴，用心感受當(dāng)?shù)貍鹘y(tǒng)習(xí)俗，可以講一口流利的浙味普通話，特別是跟著曾是廚師的丈夫?qū)W做美食、研究美食，這也為我的生活翻開了嶄新的一頁。

作者的抖音視頻。Rose’s Douyin videos.

制作一段視頻，傳遞一份思念。在中國定居的8年里，我只回過非洲一次，遠(yuǎn)方的父母和兄弟姐妹非常掛念我在這邊的生活。于是，我想到在家拍攝日常生活和制作美食的短視頻，分享給遠(yuǎn)方的親人。他們看到視頻，知道我婚后生活幸福美滿，應(yīng)該也就能放心了。但意想不到的是，我的視頻在抖音上得到廣大網(wǎng)友的關(guān)注和點贊，“非洲媳婦+農(nóng)村生活+中國美食”的視頻把快樂傳遞給了更多人。網(wǎng)友們親切地稱呼我為“非洲李子柒”“全網(wǎng)最會為人處世的外國媳婦”，將我和丈夫的普通生活戲稱為“中非鄉(xiāng)村愛情故事”。

麗水遂昌葉村村新貌。The new look of Yecun village in Suichang county, Lishui city.

廣大粉絲的關(guān)心和支持成就了作為美食博主的我。我注冊了專門的抖音賬號“Rose”，我的丈夫吳建云也從外地回來了，成為短視頻里的“男主角”。我們的土木結(jié)構(gòu)房子（一間廳堂，兩間臥室，一間廚房和門外院子），成為取景拍攝的主場。廚房里的一座土灶臺、一個木制操作臺、一片切菜板以及農(nóng)村家庭常用的鍋碗瓢盆成為我們夫妻倆本色出演的主要道具。拍攝環(huán)境雖略顯簡陋，但我們努力展現(xiàn)樸素真實接地氣的氛圍，致力于把美食制作融入充滿煙火氣的鄉(xiāng)村日常生活中，為網(wǎng)友帶去一種鄉(xiāng)土與溫情并存的視聽體驗感。我想這也是抖音號“rose”得到大家認(rèn)可的最大原因所在。

作者和丈夫一起采摘茶葉。Rose picks tea leaves with her husband.

為了拍好每一期視頻，我們夫妻二人也使出了渾身解數(shù)，不僅結(jié)合日常經(jīng)驗和感悟，精心研究各類美食的制作方法和流程，還會去田間地頭尋找最新鮮、最土味的食材。如去山里挖竹筍，曬成筍干，燒一鍋筍干燜肉；到田里拔蘿卜，做一頓蘿卜燉排骨；摘一籃南瓜葉、番薯葉，燒出新鮮營養(yǎng)的蔬菜美食，讓網(wǎng)友知道農(nóng)村遍地是美味佳肴。傳承和弘揚各種傳統(tǒng)佳節(jié)中不同時令的傳統(tǒng)美食文化，也是我們視頻傳播的一大追求，端午包粽子、中秋烤月餅、元宵包湯圓，春季的枇杷膏、冬季的秋梨膏，一份份美食體現(xiàn)著我對中國傳統(tǒng)習(xí)俗和優(yōu)秀傳統(tǒng)文化的學(xué)習(xí)和理解。最讓我開心的是，在視頻中我與丈夫配合默契、相互打趣、互敬互愛的日常相處模式，也得到了廣大粉絲的認(rèn)可和祝福?！澳械挠哪L(fēng)趣，女的賢惠持家，相互體諒，相互尊重，這才是夫妻”，每當(dāng)看到粉絲們的這些留言，我的心里別提有多高興了。

千萬的你，成就了小小的我。沒有父老鄉(xiāng)親的關(guān)愛和廣大粉絲的支持，我也不可能通過這樣一種方式實現(xiàn)人生更豐富的價值。我會繼續(xù)發(fā)揮優(yōu)勢回饋粉絲、報答愛我養(yǎng)我的新家園。我所在的遂昌縣的廣大農(nóng)村，有著優(yōu)美的自然風(fēng)光、濃郁的農(nóng)耕文化、豐富的物產(chǎn)美食、熱情的鄉(xiāng)民農(nóng)民，大家正朝著“共同富?！钡哪繕?biāo)邁進。政府也在積極鼓勵推動農(nóng)民栽培種植更多綠色農(nóng)產(chǎn)品，建設(shè)更加優(yōu)美整潔的美麗鄉(xiāng)村，構(gòu)建更為完善的農(nóng)村電商服務(wù)體系，激活鄉(xiāng)村振興新動能。我和我的丈夫?qū)⒗^續(xù)深耕鄉(xiāng)村文化，傳播更多關(guān)于遂昌風(fēng)土人情、農(nóng)產(chǎn)美食、經(jīng)濟發(fā)展的故事，將遂昌的金名片介紹給世界上更多的人知道。

Common Prosperity and My Home in China

By Adikin Rose Mary

My home in China is in Suichang county, Zhejiang province.Known as the “Forest Sea of Southern Zhejiang” and the “Green Sea of” (south of the Yangtze River), this is where Tang Xianzu (1550-1616), a world-renowned playwright and China’s Shakespeare, served as a county magistrate more than 400 years ago and wrote the immortal masterpiece the.Like most other villages in the county, the Yecun village, Jinzhu township — where my home is located, is picturesque and idyllic,with mountains and terraced fields in the distance, and brooks and tea plantations nearby. Rural dwellings sit orderly in the village,but most importantly, the villagers are industrious, honest and kind, always making me feel at home. I have long fallen in love with the place.

1.作者和閨蜜們相聚一起做豬肚雞。 2.作者邀請村里阿姨們一起吃元宵。1.Rose makes pork belly chicken with her bosom friends. 2.Rose invites elderly ladies in the village to eat glutinous rice balls.

Oftentimes I can’t help but think back to 2014, when, in my early 20s, I was working as a furniture salesman for a Chinesefunded company in Uganda. To better communicate with my Chinese colleagues and clients, I began to learn to speak Chinese and met a girl from Zhejiang in my company. It was through this matchmaker that I met her cousin and now husband, Wu Jianyun.Although geographically separated by thousands of miles, Wu and I gradually became familiar with each other through the internet and developed romantic feelings for each other. Eventually, I decided to come to China, to the rural area of Zhejiang province.

Yecun village lies about two kilometers away from the Jinzhu township government seat and nearly 50 kilometers away from downtown Suichang. When I first arrived, I was immediately struck by the efforts that the local government and people spent on improving the transportation network and the environment and on living a better life. At that time, several projects aimed at building major roads and have Jinzhu township better connected with the outside were in full swing, and the village committee took advantage of the situation to launch a series of plans to make Yecun village in to a “beautiful village”. Many villagers were also actively engaged in the tea and camellia oil industry. These developments gave me a lot of “pressure”: as an African “daughter-in-law”, not only would I adapt to the life in China’s countryside,but also through my own efforts to live a “well-off life” advocated by the Chinese people!

My family back then was not rich, to say the very least, and with the birth of my son Wu Zi’an, we needed to cope with more.Only one month after Zi’an was born, my husband went out to work. I became one of the “l(fā)eft-behind women” in the countryside,who had to work in the fields, do housework, and feed and look after their children. Without the “shelter” of my husband, I felt somewhat uneasy about whether I could blend into the big family of the villager life. Faced with a still unfamiliar environment,who should I turn to for help when I have difficulties? Would the neighbors accept me? Would the children in the village bully Zi’an because he is different from them? As it turned out, my worries were totally unnecessary.

As an old Chinese saying goes, “a close neighbor is better than a distant relative”. The elder sister who lives next door often sent me fresh vegetables which she planted. The elder brother of another neighboring family helped me repair chicken coop. Luo Mei and Yingzi often came to listen to me talking about everyday life and they became my best girlfriends. My husband’s cousins would often come to my house to help me with my fieldwork.With the help of the Women’s Federation and the village committee, our dry toilet has been transformed into a clean,clean, environmentally friendly flush toilet. The officials from the county’s foreign affairs office even accompanied us foreigners to the designated hospitals for COVID-19 vaccination.

My cheerful and lively personality and good-neighborly attitude have certainly helped, but more importantly, it is the kindness and unity that have been engraved in the bones of the Chinese people.

I have always been grateful to be in Suichang, with such wonderful neighbors and fellow villagers. I’ve trying everything to integrate into China’s rural life. During the busy farming season, I would get up early to help my neighbors pick and sell tea, and learn to negotiate prices with buyers. On the Double Ninth Festival, I would make rice cakes, and bring them to the village elders together with Zi’an. On the Dragon Boat Festival,my husband and I gather fresh reed leaves and wrap a large basket of soft and sweet(sticky rice dumplings) to share with neighbors, relatives and friends.

Before I know it, I have been in China for eight years. In this period, I have learnt to speak Fluent Mandarin with a Zhejiang accent. In particular, I learned to cook from my husband, who was once a chef. I have only been back to Africa once. My parents and siblings miss me very much. So I started to shoot short videos of my daily life to share with my relatives. When they watch them,they all know that I’m happily married.

On the other hand, to my pleasant surprise, my videos have attracted a lot of attention and likes on Douyin. “African daughterin-law”, “rural life” and “Chinese food”. The combination has spread happiness to many people. Netizens affectionately call my life with my husband as “A Rural Love Story between China and Africa”.

The support of my fans has made me the food vlogger I am.During the process, I registered a Douyin account “Rose”, and my husband came back from his work and became the “l(fā)eading actor”in my short videos. Our house (one living room, two bedrooms, a kitchen and yard outside) became filming set. Although the setting is a little simple, we strive to show the real and down-to-earth rural life. I think this is the biggest reason why “Rose” is recognized by people.

To have the best videos, my husband and I try to do our best.We not only combine our daily experience, carefully studying the cooking methods and processes of various kinds of food, but also go to the fields to find the most fresh and most characteristic local vegetables. For example, we go to the mountains to dig bamboo shoots, before drying them and cooking a pot of dried bamboo shoots braised meat. We go to the fields to find turnip for stewed ribs. We pick a basket of pumpkins and sweet potato leaves and cook up fresh and nutritious vegetable dishes.

“The husband is humorous and the wife is considerate and respectful. This is what a couple should be like.” Whenever I see these comments from my fans, I feel so happy.

Without the care of my fellow villagers and the support of my fans, I could not have realized the richer value of my life in such a way. I will continue to repay the love to my fans and to my new hometown. The vast rural areas of Suichang county are endowed with beautiful natural sceneries, a rich farming culture, abundant food products, and enthusiastic villagers and farmers. All of them are marching towards the goal of “common prosperity”. The government is also encouraging farmers to grow more green agricultural products, build a more beautiful and tidy countryside, and a better rural e-commerce service system for rural revitalization. My husband and I will continue to immerse ourselves in China’s rural culture and tell more stories about Suichang’s local customs, agricultural delicacies and economic development to the world.